Door operating apparatus



Patented Aug. 16, 1932 FRANK E. LEWIS, OF EAST PITTSBURGH,

HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING VANIA PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS Application filed April 12 My invention relates to door operating apparatus and more particularly to apparatus of the type that is employed for controlling the operation of the doors to vehicles, elevator cars and similar apparatus.

In the various forms of automatic elevators, that is, elevators operated without attendants, in which the doors and gates are biased to a closed position, it has been proll posed to provide means for holding the doors and gates open for a predetermined period of time to permit the passengers to enter or leave the car. In practice, it has been found to be difiicult to set the holding means for a 15 definite time that is satisfactory under all circumstances, and it is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide for extending the period during which the door and gate will be held open until the passengers have cleared 29 the doorway with which the door and gate are associated, or, in other words, for extending the time in accordance with the number of passengers entering or leaving the car.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a door-holding apparatus that shall be simple and efficient in operation and adapted for ready and economical manufacture and installation. l The invention, as disclosed in the accom- 39 panying drawing, comprises the structural devices and the combination of elements and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter set forth and particularly defined in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the single figure h of which is a diagrammatic view of my improved door controlling mechanism shown in operative relation with an elevator car.

In the drawing, I have illustrated an en trance to an elevator, as viewed from the interior of the elevator car 1. The doorway 2 to the car is provided with a collapsible gate 3, while the cooperating doorway 4 in the elevator shaft is provided with a sliding door 5 that is constructed in three sections 6, 7 and 8.

In order that the sliding door 5 may be 1928. Serial No. 269,504,

readily opened and closed, it is provided with operating arms 9, 10 and 11 that are pivot ally connected to each other and arranged to form a toggle lever 12. The outer end of the toggle arm 11 is pivotally secured to a bracket 13 that is mounted back of the door 5 on the wall 14 of the elevator shaft to provide a fixed base for the operation of'the toggle lever 12. The toggle arm or link 10 is pivotally mounted on a bracket 13a that is securely fixed to the door section 7, and the outer end of the arm 9 is pivotally attached to the door section 6 for the purpose of mo ing the sliding door when the toggle lever is actuated. Thedoor 5 is biased to a closing positionby a coiled compression spring 15 that is mounted between a bracket 16 on the wall of the elevator shaft and an actuating member 17 that is pivotally connected to the arm 11 of the toggle lever 12. In practice. the length of the links constituting the tog gle will be such that the toggle will never completely straighten out to such degree as will lock the door against opening movement.

As shown, the collapsible gate 3 is provided with a projection 18 that is adapted to cooperate with a channel member 19 which is carried by the hatchway door 5; When the car 1 comes to the level of the floor at which the hatchway door 5 is located, the projection 18 enters the channel in the channel mem ber 19 and interlocks the gate with the door in such manner that the gate will be opened or closed when the door isopened or closed.

Inasmuch as it is not easy for the passengers to hold the door 5 and the gate 3 open while theyare entering or leaving the car 1. I'h'ave provided for retaining the door and gate in their open position, by mounting a rack 20 on a pair of brackets 21 and 220m the door section 6 in a position to be engaged by a pawl 23 which is pivotally mounted on the wall of the elevator shaft. It will be noted that the rack 20 is of suiiicient length to hold the door in the farthest position to which it is opened, whether in partway or full open position.

A means for lifting the pawl 23 out of engagement with the rack 20 to permit the door closing spring 16 to close the-door, comprises an electromagnet 26, controlled, through the relays 27 and 23, and the door and gate contact members 29, 30, 31 and 32, by the opening and closing of the door 5 and gate 3.

When the door 5 and gate 3 are in a closed position, the relay 27 is energized, the electromagnet26 is deenergized and the pawl 23 is, therefore, normally in position to engage the rack 20. However, when the door 5 and gate 3 are opened, door relay 28' is deenergized,

and thus the relay 27 is deenergized and closes the circuit for energizing the electromagnet 26. Since it is desirable to-hold the door open. for a time suflicient to permit a passenger to enter or leave the car, I provide a dash not 36 that is attached to the relay 27 in such manner as to prevent the relay fromclosing the circuit for the :GlQCtI'OmEIQ'IlGt QS for a predetcrminedlength oftime after-the relay is 'deenergized In this manner, the pawl23' is permitted to remain in engagement with the rack 20. tohold the door 5 open for a predetermined period-after the door is opened.

While thedashipot 36'may be designed with such: characteristicsaswill retard the closing of the door 5 for any predetermined period, thisperiod'should be as short as pos-' sible' and it is diilicult, in practice, to select such a perod as will not be either too short timeperiod comprises a passenger operated switch 38"that is connected in parallel relation to the contact members of the door relay 28 byv means of cont actors i39' andi "450-. The switch 38 is disposediunderneatha movable plat e 4% in the threshold of thecair I'm such manner as to be closed by passengers-step ping upon the plate" when entering-or leav'-' ing the'car. When theswitch '38 is closedyit completes a circuit through the coil 45 of the relay 27 and thereby causes'relay 27fto reenergized alnd'rthe dash pct 36 to bereset to delay the closing of the door 5 for an additional periodot time; A pairof springs'46 and 47 are disposed between-the plate i l and floor 48 'ofthe car to bias the switch 38' to an open positi on.

Inasmuch as it is desirable to prevent the operation of tllQRlGVI-tfil carlwhen one-of the doors or the gate is open, the'control'cin cuit for operating the up and down direction switches 49 and 50 may be controlled by door relay 28 or, as illustrated, may be connected through conductors 51 and 52, with door contact members 29, 30 and 31 and the gate contact members 32 in series relation, thus preventing a flow of current through the control circuit as long as any of the door and gate contact members are open. Thus, the opening of doors or gates serves to prevent movement of'thecar and also to initiate operaions insuring closure of doors and gate as soon as passengers have entered or left the car.

The operation of the door controlling apparatus is as follows: 7

. Assuming that the car 1 has come to a stop at a landing; that the door 5 and the gate 3 have been moved to'anopen position; that the pawl 23 is in-engagementwith the rack 20 and is preventing the door from closing and that all of the pasiiengers have leftthe car, then the door contact members 31 and the gate contact members 32 are open, the re lays 27 and '28 are deenergized and the dash pot 36 is slowly permitting the contact members 37 to close. At this point in the operation of the door controlling apparatus, be-

.fore the 'dash pot has fully closed, any passengers entering the car will step upon the movable plate 44' and their Weight willde press it and thereby close the switch38. The closing of the switch 38 will effect a reenergization oi' the relay 27 and through it a re-- setting of the dash pot 36 to start a newtime period by completing a circuit from lQlIGSllP- ply conductor- Ll through conductors 53, 54c and 40, switch 38, conductors 3t: and 55, coil 45 =and:conductors 56 and 57 to thesupply' conductor L2.

Assuming now that no additional passengers enter the car, then the dash pot 36 Will continue its: closing movement until 1 thecontact members 37 are closed. When thecon-- tact members 37 are closed, the magnet 26 is energized by the completion of its circuit from the supply conductor L1 throughscon ductor 58, coil 59, conductor 60, the-contact members 37 and conductors 61*and 57, to the supply conductor L2. The energization of the electromagnet 26 raises the pawl 23 out of engagement'with the rack- 20. When the rack 20 is rel-eased from the holding action oi the pawl 23, the door 5 and the gate 3move to their closed-position undertheaction'of the biasing spring 16 and close the door and gate contact members 31 and 32.-

The closing of the door and the gate contact-members 31 and 32 serves to energize the relays 27 and :28, which, in turn, causesthe electromagnet 26 to be deenergized and, drop the pawl 23 into position to engage the rack20 when the door 5 is again moved-into its open position. The circuitfor energizing the relay 28 extends from the supply conductor ll through conductors 53and 62, coil of relay 28, conductors 64 and 52, door contact members 29, and 31, the gate contact members 32 and conductor 65 to the supply conductor L2. The circuit for energizing the relay 27 extends from the supply conductor L2 through conductors 57 and 56, coil l5, conductors 55 and 66, contact members 41 of relay '28 and conductors 54 and 53 to the supply conductor L1.

The closing of the door 5 and the gate 3 and thereby the door and gate contact members 31 and 32 also permits the operation of the car by completing a circuit for the control circuit through conductors 51 and 52, the door and gate contact members 29, 30, 31 and 32 and conductor 65 to supply conductor L2.

While only one door and its associated rack, pawl, and magnet is illustrated, it is assumed that a similar arrangement of apparatus is provided at each floor past which'the car moves, hence, when the car moves to a stop at another landing, the opening of the door 5 and gate 3 at that floor will cause the various parts of the apparatus to again take the positions illustrated in the drawing.

It will, therefore, be seen that I have provided an improved means for controlling the operation oi doors and gates that is particularly well adapted for use in connection with elevators of the automatic type that are operated without the assistance oi the usual attendants or operators.

The apparatus shown and described is illustrative only, and the essentials of my invention may be embodied in many other forms. I do not, therefore, desire to be limited to the specific details illustrated except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door and means for closing said door, of means operably responsive to the weight of a passenger for retarding the closing of said door.

2. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, and means for biasing said door to a closed position, of means for holding said door for a predetermined length of time in any position to which it is opened, and means operably responsive to the weight of a passenger for extending said length of time.

3. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, and means "for biasingsaid door to a closed position, of a rack and a cooperating pawl for holding the door in an open position, and means for moving the pawl from said rack after a predetermined length of time.

l. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, means for closing said door, and means for retarding the closing of said door for a predetermined length of time, of means operably responsive to the weight oi passengers moving through the doorway for retarding the closing of said door for an additional length. 01"- time.

5. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, and means for biasing said door to a closed pos tion, of a rack and a cooperating pawl for holding the door in an open position, means for moving the pawl from said rack after a predetermined length of time, and means operable by passage of passengers through said door for delaying the movement of the pawl from the racktor an additional length of time.

6. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, means for biasing the door to a closed position, and means for holding said door in an open position, of electrically operated means for releasing said holding means, means for retarding the operation of said electrically operated means, a pair of parallel circuts for said electrically operated means, a pair of contact members associated with said door for controlling one of said circuits,'and a switch operated by movement of passengers through said door for controlling the other of said circuits.

7. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, means for b asing the door to a closed position, and means for holding said door in an open position, or" e e"- trically operated means for releasing said holding means, means for retarding the operation oi said electrically operated means, a pair of parallel circuits for said electrically operated means, a pair of contact members associated with said door for controlling one of said circuits, and a switch for controlling the other of said circuits, and means operable by the movement of passengers through the doorway for actuating said switch.

8. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, means for, biasing the door to a closed position, and means for holding said door in an open position, of electrically operated means for releasing said holding means, means for retarding the operation of said electrically operated means, a pair of parallel circuits for said electrically operated means, a pair of contact members associated with said door for controlling one of said circuits, and a switch for controlling the other of said circuits, said switch being disposed in the threshold of the elevator car in position to be actuated by the passage of passengers through the doorway.

9. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, means for biasing the door to a closed position, and means for holding said door in an open position, of an electromagnet for releasing said holding means, a relay for controlling the operation of the electromagnet, means for retarding the action of the relay, a pair of parallel circuits for said relay, a pair 01": contact members associated with said door for controlling one of said circuits, and a passenger operated switch for controlling the other of said Icircuits.

10. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, and means for biasing the door to a closed position, of a rack and a cooperating pawl for holding the door in an open position, anlelectromagnet for withdrawing said pawl from said rack, a rev lay for controlling the operation of the elecm tromagnet, means for retarding the action of the relay, a pair of contact members associated with said door for controlling one of said circuits, and a passenger operated 4 switch for controlling the other of said cir- 15 cuits.

'11. In a door controlling apparatus, the combination with a door, and means for biasing the door to a closed position, of a rack and a cooperating pawl for holding the door in an open position, an electromagnet for withdrawing said pawl from said rack, a

switch biased to close the circuit of the electromagnet, a switch-operating magnet for opening said switch, a dash pot for retard- 05 ing the closing of the switch for a predetermined length of time after the deenergization of the switch operating magnet, a pair of parallel circuits for said switch-operating magnet, a pair of contact members associated with said door for controlling one of said circuits, and a passenger operated switch for controlling the other of said circuits.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 10th day of April 1929.

FRANK E. LEWIS. 

